Ebony Lounge Niles

Ebony Lounge Review: Misleading Menu, Bad Service and Horrible Food!!

After watching the rather tiresome Tamil movie 180 aka Nootrenbedhu, we decided to satiate our appetite at the Ebony Lounge located inside Big Cinemas at Niles, IL.

Ambiance

Ebony benefits from the rather well to do clientele of Big Cinema and it reflects in their neat and spacious dining area.

The plates, spoons, glasses and aprons are neat and tidy.

Menu, Service, Food

We decided to keep things simple. So after quickly scanning through their elaborate menu that boasts of North and South Indian fare, we chose the ever dependable Mango Lassi, Tomato soup, Aloo Gobi and Phulka Rotis.

The waiter looked at us as if we were strange animals from the Zoo and made Phulka sound like an alien from outer space before telling us that they may not have Phulka but he would check.

He came back after a minute and announced that Phulka and Tomato Soup were not available and instead we could have Lentil soup and Tandoori Roti.

At 10:30PM with no leftovers at home, no energy to cook and no Indian restaurants open in the neighborhood we reconciled to what they could offer us.

A couple of minutes later the waiter returned and announced that they don't have Mango Lassi!

With despair in our eyes, we asked him if they have anything at all. To which he responded that the recent power cut in the area a couple of days earlier had resulted in poor supplies!! It made no sense to us whatsoever. In any case, we ordered regular coke instead and a serving of Raita.

The Ebony Lounge buffoons have no sense of sequence. They brought all the food in one go including the soup.

Awful Lentil Soup

The Lentil Soup was the most disgusting liquid that we have ever brought near our mouth. It was bland water in which yellow dal was cooked. It smelt and tasted like water below the vessel in a pressure cooker. After a few sips of this nauseating liquid which reminded me of Moraji Desai, I abandoned it for good.

Pappadum Rotis

Rotis were on their way to either becoming Pappadums or Bullet-proof vests. One piece scratched the side of my mouth resulting in minor bleeding and another piece was so strong that I had to use my two hands to tear it apart.

With tears in our eyes, blood in my mouth and Moraji Desai's favorite drink in mind we turned to Aloo Gobi as the last resort. Thankfully, it did not offend our senses that much. While it was nothing special, it at least didn't hurt us.

After a couple of reminders, the waiter took pity and gave us Raita. The Raita was delicious - Tangy and cooling.

The mere fact that we are making a mention of Raita in the most positive way should tell you how pathetic the rest of the dinner was.

Before we forget, you can order Coke - no ice anywhere but in Ebony, you get Coke - no fizz with or without ice. Better stick to water.

Drained of energy, patience or emotions, we quietly asked for the check. It took the jackass four trips to close the bill before we could finally get out of that place.

Our Verdict on Ebony Lounge

Folks, either fast or eat elsewhere when you plan on a movie at Big Cinemas.